Marcos 1
Ray Stedman · Citado em PreceptAustin
Marcos 1
Stedman has an interesting comment - I have just spent two weeks in Mexico with the Wycliffe Bible Translators, and I have realized anew that the Gospel of Mark is the most translated book in all the world. No other book appears in as many languages. Almost all Wycliffe translators, after they have reduced a language to writing, begin their translation of the Scriptures with this gospel. I am sure that the fact it is the shortest of the gospels has something to do with that decision! Bible translators are human beings like the rest of us, and no one wants to start with a gospel as long as Matthew or Luke. But it is also a fact that Mark is particularly suitable for introducing to the Scriptures people of all backgrounds, classes, and tribes. It is the one gospel of the four which is aimed at the Gentile ear. Mark was written for the Roman world, for the Gentile, for those who do not know the background of the Old Testament. Therefore it is a very instructive and helpful gospel to use in the initial approach....Mark is very easy to outline, because the author gives us certain natural divisions, as we will see as we go along. It falls readily into two halves. The first, Mark 1:1-8:26, is The Servant Who Rules -- the authority of the servant. The second, from Mark 8:27 through to the end, is The Ruler Who Serves. Hooker compares the prologues of Mark and John - John speaks of the Logos, and Mark of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, but both explain who Jesus is by comparing him with the Baptist, and by stressing Jesus’ superiority. John speaks of his activity in creation, and Mark of the fact that the creative spirit of God rests on him. In both, Jesus is Son of God, and his relationship to the Father is described in similar terms—‘beloved’ (ἀγαπητός, used especially of an only child) in Mark, ‘only’ (μονογενής) in John. (Black's NT Commentary) J C
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Stedman remarks "the prophet Isaiah said John's message would be like a great bulldozer, building a highway in the desert for God to come to the isolated stranger in the midst of the wilderness. Without a road you cannot drive out into the desert in order to help somebody. You must have a road, a highway in the desert. John was God's bulldozer to build that highway. You know how roads are built -- exactly as Isaiah describes in Chapter 40. "Every mountain shall be brought low, and every valley shall be lifted up; the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places plain," {cf, Isa 40:4a}. That is what repentance does. It brings down all the high peaks of pride that we stand on and refuse to admit are wrong. It takes the depressed areas of our life, where we beat and torture and punish ourselves, and lifts them up. It takes the crooked places, where we have lied and deceived, and straightens them out. And it makes the rough places plain. Then God is there, at that instant of repentance. Beautiful imagery, is it not?" (The Place to Begin Mark 1:1-8) You (face, presence) (4383)(prosopon from pros = towards + ops = eye, the part around the eye and so the face) means literally toward the eye or face. This is a great picture of the ministry of John the Baptist -- right in front of the face of the Messiah! THOUGHT - John’s ministry was performed in the personal presence of the Lord Jesus Christ! But is this not in a sense true of all our Spirit enabled ministry for the Lord? Is not all we do, performed Coram Deo, before the face of God? And what a difference it makes if enabled by the Spirit, we will maintain this "Coram Deo" approach to everything, in these last days which are filled with variegated temptations and trivial trifles! Who will prepare Your (MESSIAH'S) way- This is the Father's promise to His Son that John would prepare Messiah's way. The "forerunner" would run before (so to speak) the coming King, preparing the way for the Way (John 14:6+)! Tragically few in Israel would recognize and receive Jesus into their hearts as their King (John 1:11-13+; Mt 21:42, 43; Mt 23:37; Lk 19:43,44+). Hiebert adds that "The point of the whole quotation is that John’s preparatory ministry, in fulfillment of prophecy, authenticated Jesus’ Messiahship and prepared for the beginning of His official ministry as the Messiah. . . Roads in the East were generally poorly maintained. A coming king would send ahead of him a representative to assure that the roads had been adequately prepared. Spiritually, this was John’s advance task. He was to remove hindrances in the hearts of the people so that they would be ready to receive “the coming One.” (Paul Apple comments "Cf. work by advance team of Secret Service agents on behalf of the President.") John records the Baptist's arrival on the scene and specifies the purpose of his preparing the way for Jesus "There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, SO THAT (JOHN'S ULTIMATE PURPOSE WAS THAT) all might believe through him. (Jn 1:6-7+) Prepare (2680)(kataskeuazo from kata = intensifies the meaning of + skeuazo = prepare, make ready) means to prepare, make ready, put in a state of readiness (Mk 1:2+). It is used of persons who are mentally and spiritually prepared - "make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Lk 1:17+). To build, construct, erect, create (Heb 3:3-4+, Heb 11:7+, 1 Pe 3:20+). To furnish or equip (Heb 9:2, 6+). Kataskeuazo means to make, construct or erect with idea of adorning and equipping with all things necessary. Kataskeuazo was used in the papyri with reference to the visit of a Roman senator to the Fayum. Directions are given for his welcome; “take care that at the proper places the guest-chambers be got ready." (Moulton and Milligan) Kataskeuazo is used 10x - builder(2), built(1), construction(1), prepare(3), prepared(4). Mt. 11:10; Mk. 1:2; Lk. 1:17; Lk. 7:27; Heb. 3:3; Heb. 3:4; Heb. 9:2; Heb. 9:6; Heb. 11:7; 1 Pet. 3:20
Marcos 1
Stedman asks "What is sin? Well, basically and fundamentally, sin is self-centeredness, that's all. We commit sins because we are thinking of ourselves, loving ourselves, indulging ourselves, looking out for ourselves, taking care that no one get ahead of us. That is the essence of sin -- self-centeredness. We are all victims of it. There is not one of us who does not struggle in this area. We find ourselves trapped in it constantly. That is the curse which hangs over our whole human race. We were made by God to be vessels to convey his outgoing love, to reach out with it to everyone around us. Somehow that has become twisted, so that now -- instead of reaching out -- we reach in, and we love ourselves first." And sin always produces guilt. Guilt is dislike of ourselves. We do not like the fact that we hurt others -- and we know we do. We feel responsible because we see the damage we do in other people's lives by our self-centeredness, and we feel guilty about it. We learn to hate ourselves to a considerable degree. That is why psychologists say that the great problem humanity wrestles with is self-hatred. Carl Menninger wrote a book, Man Against Himself, in which he documents that this is what we do. We hate ourselves. We do not like ourselves. We lose our self-respect. That is guilt. Guilt is always accompanied by fear, because fear is self-distrust. Fear is feeling unable to handle life anymore, being aware that there are forces and powers we are unable to control, and which eventually are going to confront us. We are not able to handle them, and so we run from them. Even in the Garden of Eden, as soon as Adam and Eve sinned they felt guilty, and they hid in fear. It has been the history of the race ever since. Fear looms up, that uncertainty about the future, and we become fearful, timid people, afraid of what will happen next. We are walking on eggs all the time, afraid of being accepted or rejected, afraid of what people will do to us -- and especially, finally, afraid of what God is going to do to us. That is an inner torment the like of which there is no equal. (Mark 1:1-8 The Place To Begin) J C
Marcos 1
Stedman - Now, God does heal -- and thank God for physical healings. But they are only temporary blessings at best. What Jesus continually emphasizes is the healing of the spirit of man -- the healing of bitterness and hostility and lust and anger, of worry and anxiety and a critical spirit. This is what he is after deliverance from these ugly and evil things -- because this is of eternal value. The healing of the spirit is a permanent thing. So Jesus turns his back on popular acclaim, tries to suppress it and keep it under control, in order that he might be free for the ministry of greater importance. (Mark 1:16-39 A Day In The Life Of Jesus) We don't know how long Peter's house was turned into a veritable "Emergency Room," but we do know the whole town was there and it was evening. So depending on how many were sick, this scene could have lasted well into the night. Did Jesus pause for dinner? The text does not say. And although we do not know how long it lasted, remember that Jesus was fully Man, and here at the end of a long day of doing other miracles (leper, centurion's son, demon in synagogue), He must have been humanly spent, "fully exhausted!" But remember that Luke 4:14+ says He was functioning "in the power of the Spirit." (cf Acts 10:38+) While a Spirit filled Man is performing spiritual work, he is supernaturally energized. God's work done in God's will never lacks God's supernatural supply (see note below from Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God in the chapter entitled "Doing God's Will"). And cast out many demons - Luke 4:41 has Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!”. And He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was -This is what He had done in Mk 1:25+ commanding the demon "“Be quiet, and come out of him!” Once again the evil demons knew Jesus as Son of God and as the Christ (MESSIAH)" (Lk 4:41+). Ray Stedman says Jesus "laid a vocal quarantine upon them." THOUGHT - It’s interesting that the demons wanted to declare who Jesus was but were not permitted to do so. Jesus wants us to speak about Him, but many of us walk around muzzled. Cast out (threw out, drove out, sent out) (1544)(ekbállō from ek = out + bállō = to cast, throw, drive) means to cast or throw out often with the idea of force (Mt. 8:12; Mt 15:17; Mt 25:30; Acts 16:37, Acts 27:38; Lxx - Lev. 14:40) and as here in Mark 1:34 was frequently used of casting out demons (cf Mt 7:22, Mt 8:16, 31, Mt 9:34, 10:1, etc). Sadly ekballo is also used of the future casting unbelievers into the outer darkness (hell - eternal punishment) (Mt 8:12, Mt 22:13, Mt 25:30). It is ironic that Mark used the same verb in Mark 1:12+ of the Holy Spirit's effect on Jesus - "Immediately the Spirit impelled (ekballo) Him (Jesus) to go out into the wilderness." Not permitting is the same verb used earlier - see aphiemi.